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An anonymous reader writes "Five decades after a humble start to its space program, the Indian Space Research Organization has successfully launched its 100th mission. From the news article: 'Making history in its space Odyssey, India on Sunday successfully launched its 100th mission with its workhorse PSLV-C21 placing in orbit two foreign satellites in a flawless flight from the spaceport here. The third wholly commercial launch with no Indian satellite was a textbook mission as Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed in orbit French spacecraft SPOT 6 and Japanese micro satellite PROITERES some 18 minutes after lift-off at 9:53 a.m..' ISRO has so far launched 62 satellites, one space recovery module, and 37 rockets."

I'm more impressed with how they managed 100 successful launches with only 37 rockets.

This is explained in the article. Each rocket launch is considered a "mission". Each satellite placed in orbit is considered a "mission". So if a rocket is launched with two satellites on board, that counts as three "missions".

Maybe this mission counting system was devised by some ex-Arthur Andersen accountants.

This is explained in the article. Each rocket launch is considered a "mission". Each satellite placed in orbit is considered a "mission". So if a rocket is launched with two satellites on board, that counts as three "missions".

Maybe this mission counting system was devised by some ex-Arthur Andersen accountants.

Or maybe some of the people who worked at my previous employer, brought back with them the awesome ideas about software metrics we used:/

The more national organisations and other countries running successful space operations, the more chance all us geeks have a chance of our dreams to take a tourist package into space come true:-)

More seriously - it's got to be a good thing that India can develop and manage its own space program, bringing its own researchers through and increasing its high tech industrial capacity. More space programs means more cross fertilisation of ideas across programs. Perhaps we are finally getting past the faltering

In twenty years, these "developing countries" are going to be the leaders in science and technology (if they aren't already), have mature, productive space programs and transportation systems, while the USA is still busy arguing whether evolution is the work of Satan himself or whether it's simply the work of the liberal elite.

You need to get yourself a passport and go out into the world and get some perspective. Americans may argue about evolution on talk radio, but Indians kill each other over this stuff. Thousands of Indians have died in religious violence in recent years. The USA may seem religiously extreme compared to Western Europe, but compared to the "developing world", not at all.

People were asked which statements were closest to their own opinion about how evolutionary theories should be taught in science lessons in schools.
The highest proportion agreeing that evolutionary theories alone should be taught was in India, at 49%, followed by Spain (42%).

it's got to be a good thing that India can develop and manage its own space program

The "India" part of the development needs to be taken with a grain of salt.If the "Indian" military is any indication, almost nothing in the "Indian" arsenal of planes, ships, missiles is actually "Indian" in origin.They have all been pretty much lifted intact from Russian, American, European manufacturers, often even manufactured outside of India, as India lacks the technological infrastructure even to kit-build many of these high-tech systems.You can start the list of deficiencies with India cannot yet ma